Britain on track for hottest summer ever recorded

The UK is on course to record its warmest summer on record in terms of mean temperature, with only average conditions needed for the remainder of August to surpass a record set just last year.

Provisional Met Office statistics show that the UK's mean temperature for meteorological summer so far, covering June 1 to August 10, stands at 16.48°C — 1.88°C above the 1991-2020 average.

To match the current UK record for the highest mean summer temperature, 16.12°C set in 2025, the rest of August would need to average just 0.21°C below the 1991-2020 long-term summer average. Any warmer conditions would result in a new UK record, with the national series dating back to 1884.

The trend is even more pronounced in England and Wales.

England has recorded a mean summer temperature of 18.19°C so far, 2.46°C above average. The remainder of August would need to average 1.41°C below the long-term summer average for England merely to match its existing record for the warmest summer, also set in 2025.

In Wales, the mean summer temperature currently stands at 16.80°C, 2.17°C above average. The rest of August would need to be 1.40°C below the long-term summer average for Wales to equal its current record.

The UK's record for the highest average maximum temperature during summer, set during the iconic heat of 1976, is also under threat. Temperatures over the remainder of August would need to average only 0.72°C above the 1991-2020 summer average for that record to be broken.

The Met Office's long-range forecast suggests that high pressure could begin to weaken at the start of next week, potentially bringing showers or longer spells of rain to parts of the UK for a time. Temperatures are expected to remain near or slightly above average.

Later in August, however, high pressure is forecast to become more dominant again, potentially bringing longer periods of dry weather to many areas, while temperatures are likely to remain above average.

By Tamilla Hasanova